SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Defence refuted through a social media post about a TikToker who claimed he hacked into MINDEF’s system in 2013.
“It has come to our attention that a member of public, James Raj Arokiasamy, had claimed to have hacked into MINDEF on a podcast by Plan B which aired on 6 Sep. This is untrue. MINDEF’s systems were neither hacked nor compromised as claimed,” the ministry wrote in a Facebook post on Monday (Sept 11).
The ministry added that it will remain vigilant and keep a “stringent and proactive approach in detecting and defending against potential cyber threats”.
The man who claims to have hacked into MINDEF’s systems goes by the moniker JamesMessiah on TikTok, where he also claims to be “Singapores most ‘beloved’ computer hacker!”
He had said on the Plan B podcast last week that he “hacked into MINDEF and into a lot of government sectors”, adding that what he did caused embarrassment to the Government, “so they kinda covered a lot of it.”
Raj also claimed they had offered him a deal in exchange for dropped charges.
He has continued posting content about his alleged hacking despite MINDEF refuting his claims.
In 2015, he pleaded guilty to 39 charges of computer misuse and one count of drug consumption and was sent to jail for four years and eight months.
Raj had been found guilty of hacking the sites of a number of organisations, including the Ang Mo Kio Town Council, the PAP Community Foundation, The Straits Times blogs and City Harvest Church, carrying out the hacking while he was in Malaysia for several months in 2013. He defaced the pages of the websites he hacked. /TISG
SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) joined a panel at the ASEAN+ Youth Summit 2023 last week, discussing the future of education and employment and underlining that he believes that generative AI should be seen in a positive instead of just a negative light.
Generative AI is artificial intelligence capable of generating text, images, or other media, with ChatGPT as the best example. Over the past couple of years, warnings have been sounded concerning the risks ChatGPT could pose, as it could generate false or harmful content if the person using it acts with malicious intent.
But the MP, an Associate Professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School, wrote in a Sept 12 (Tuesday) Facebook post that “Given my conviction that the future of education must successfully harness the power of #ArtificialIntelligence, it was unsurprising that I based my remarks on how generative AI should not be viewed solely as a threat but rather an opportunity for the next generation of workers to augment their human talents with AI tools and techniques.”
Importantly, I stressed how youths should learn how to be power users of generative AI, find niches where the needs of people and society are yet to be met, and to think of how one can contribute in a uniquely human way (usually by remaining insatiably curious and persistently questioning).”
Assoc Prof Lim noted that the ASEAN+ Youth Summit, a joint effort from the Indonesian Youth Diplomacy and the Indonesian government, aims to increase involvement in diplomacy and international affairs among young people in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
He added that Puteri Komarudin (People’s Representative Council, Indonesia), Othman Almoamar (Confidential Government, Saudi Arabia), Jang Kyung-Tae (National Assembly, Korea), and Cinta Laura Kiehl (Ministry of Female Empowerment) were the other panellists in the discussion on the future of education and employment.
“Thanks to Anastasya Jesslyn and her team for the invitation, and to all youth delegates who enthusiastically participated in the summit: your (and our) future is in your collective hands, and it’s so refreshing to see you seize this with gusto,” wrote Assoc Prof Lim. /TISG
SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user was curious about the long-term plans of young people who bought resale HDB flats priced between S$800,000 and S$1 million.
“Or do you think that prices will still increase despite the decaying lease? I am genuinely curious (about) the thought process behind such a huge commitment,” wrote u/lovemyself123 on r/askSingapore on Monday (Sept 11).
One commenter wrote, “The surprising truth is that there are some who don’t even think about the investment aspect of buying a house, or don’t really bother with it. People buy an $800k 35-year-old maisonette knowing full well that they will incur a loss whenever it’s time to move.”
Others agreed. “My husband and I bought a 4-room flat as our first matrimonial home, and you’re right about the nice home now,” one woman shared.
“Rule of thumb is that when you buy a resale hdb you shouldn’t expect a profit, apart from standard yearly inflation,” observed another.
A Reddit user who bought an executive maisonette for S$900K five years ago wrote, “We didn’t buy the unit in hopes of making money but because we like the neighbourhood and the space it gives us.”
“Ultimately the houses are pricey, but as a getaway into the lifestyle we want, it is worth it. We don’t worry too much about the exit strategy, as we are fine staying in the flat long term,” another added.
“I’m one of those who did this. I didn’t buy with the intent to make a profit down the road. It’s more of as long as I didn’t lose money, it’s good enough. It’s more of the location that we like and this resale hdb is in central location aka prime flats in today’s lingo and it’s near my in-laws so that I can use some help for my kids,” a Reddit user shared.
Another wrote, “Not everything is about money. Some of us just want a nice home to live in – one big enough to justify splurging some amount to renovate, and one homely enough to enjoy the company of our loved ones. Price isn’t always a factor.”
Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat again said Singapore was not ready for a prime minister who is not Chinese, the majority race of the country.
“Will we ever have a non-Chinese as a prime minister? It will come one day because the Singapore society is maturing,” Heng said at the Forbes Global CEO Conference on Sept 11, reported the Straits Times.
On 28 March 2019, Heng, a Chinese Singaporean, said that while a fraction of Singapore’s population was happy to have an individual from a minority race as their prime minister, the older generation was not ready for that, reported Today newspaper. He was replying to a question by someone who noted Tharman Shanmugaratnam was a popular choice for prime minister.
Heng’s comments on Sept 11 came a few weeks after former deputy prime minister Tharman said Singaporeans were ready for a non-Chinese prime minister while he was campaigning for president. On Sept 1, Tharman, who is of South Indian heritage, was elected Singapore president in a landslide victory with 70.4 per cent of the vote.
On Aug 25, as widely reported in local media, Tharman said, “Singapore is ready any time for a non-Chinese prime minister.”
Race is a factor in politics anywhere in the world, including the US, where Barack Obama was affected by racial issues, Tharman added.
Obama was the first black man to be elected US president in Nov 2008. On Oct 25, 2022, Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian Hindu background, became the first non-white and non-Christian prime minister of Britain.
In a BBC interview during the 1990s, Anwar Ibrahim, who was then Malaysian deputy prime minister, was asked if Malaysia could have a prime minister who was not Malay, the majority race of Malaysia. Anwar replied that, in theory, it was possible, but in practice, that was a question. Anwar, in return, asked BBC whether the US could have a black president and the UK could have an Indian prime minister. One wonders whether Anwar, who is now Malaysian prime minister, might have changed his views since then.
In an interview with Bloomberg chief editor John Micklethwait on 15 Aug 2022, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is expected to succeed Lee Hsien Loong as prime minister, said, “We choose our leaders on the basis of merit and if there is a leader that emerges down the road who is not Chinese, I would certainly welcome that person.”
Earlier, at a forum organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) on 25 June 2021, Wong said a Singaporean of a minority race who wants to be prime minister should be aware of attitudes and realities on the ground, that a significant proportion of Singaporeans are more comfortable with a prime minister of their own race.
He said such attitudes, as reflected in surveys of Singaporeans, should not be accepted, reported the Straits Times.
“We should instead work very hard to change them,” Wong added.
In 1988, then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said S Dhanabalan, who was then minister of national development, was a good candidate to succeed him as prime minister, but Singaporeans were not ready for an Indian prime minister.
Toh Han Shih is chief analyst of Headland Intelligence, a Hong Kong risk consulting firm
SINGAPORE: Jom founder and noted author Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh has expressed the hope that Singapore remains welcoming of foreign journalists after the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) issued a warning to The Economist’s Singapore bureau chief Dominic Ziegler over a public endorsement he had given to Jom.
MCI had warned Mr Ziegler against interfering in domestic politics after taking issue with an endorsement he wrote that was featured in an advertisement for Jom.
In a post on Saturday (9 Sept), Mr Sudhir wrote: “Dominic Ziegler, ‘Mr Banyan’, is a fan of Singapore, as is evident from all his journalism, not just this piece he wrote after he moved here. Many foreign journalists left Hong Kong over the past few years. Quite a few decamped to Seoul, where NYT and WaPo, among others, have important offices.
“I’m glad, as a Singaporean and a writer, that many journalists from The Economist, who could have gone to any major city in Asia, chose to move here. It’s an important vote of confidence in our country’s future, imo. I hope that we always remain welcoming of them.”
In an advertisement for Jom that ran on 25 Aug, Mr Ziegler had said: “I love Jom. It’s driven by an infectious curiosity and by a deep attachment to the great city-state of Singapore and the world it floats in. Jom is penetrating, bold, unflinching and funny. Above all, it is humane.
“It touches deeper truths about the way Singapore is run and about the culture that runs through all Singaporeans than you will ever find in the state-supported press. It is also better written, but that is not all: the best writing in Singapore is matched by classy artwork. It is an end-of-the-week joy to have Jom in your hands or on your laptop.
“Jom enlightens and gives pleasure. More than that, in illiberal states around the world independent media need supporters. Those states and their captive media presume to know what is best for us. But with no independent voices to question things, how can they be so sure?
“How can they give weight to all the voices of society, rather than just the most powerful ones? Every Singaporean wants a kinder, fairer future. By offering visions of alternative Singapores, Jom is already reaching for that future. What’s that, if not patriotism?”
In a statement on Friday (8 Sept), MCI said Mr Ziegler “compared Singapore to an illiberal state, and encouraged Singaporeans to embrace an alternative vision, instead of what was being offered by the state and an allegedly captive media”.
Revealing that it has expressed a “clear expectation” to Mr Ziegler that he refrain from interfering in domestic politics again, MCI said: “Ziegler’s action clearly crossed the line from reporting on Singapore to participating in Singapore’s domestic affairs.
Ziegler has exploited his status in Singapore as a journalist in a prestigious international publication to advocate to Singaporeans for his viewpoint on domestic politics in Singapore, a country which he is not a citizen of.”
Asserting that “such foreign interference” in domestic politics will not be tolerated, the ministry added, “Singapore politics is reserved only for Singaporeans.”
Noting that foreign correspondents are free to report and comment on Singapore in foreign publications, reaching a global audience, MCI said: “The government insists on the right of reply to correct foreign reports that it considers inaccurate or biased, but it does not prevent foreign correspondents from engaging anyone they wish here and reporting on Singapore in any way they think fit.
Many foreign correspondents and media outlets base themselves in Singapore. The Economist itself has expanded its bureau here in recent years, transferring many of its correspondents previously based elsewhere in the region to Singapore. It would not have done so if it did not find Singapore a suitable base for its correspondents.”
MCI added that it welcomes foreign reporters and media companies to operate in and report on Singapore but warned: “However, they must comply with our laws and must not interfere in our domestic politics.”
SINGAPORE: A puzzled employer approached social media asking about her helper’s strange eating habits.
In an anonymous post, the woman said that she had a Burmese helper who “likes to keep food in her mouth”.
“The first time I noticed I didn’t check what it was. After I noticed the second time, I asked her to spit it out and it was uncooked rice”, the employer wrote. When she asked her maid why she did so, the helper told her that she likes it.
“Anyone can help me understand if this is normal behaviour or why she is doing it?” the woman asked.
Here’s what others who commented on the post said:
Earlier this year, a foreign domestic helper took to social media, sharing the devastating conditions she was forced to work under, including days she went hungry.
The helper responded to another social media post and shared her situation. She said that her employer treated her very badly and did not give her enough food. The helper added that she had to buy her own food and rice because her employer had only allocated 1kg of rice to her six family members in the house.
“How she treat me. And my food not enough. I buy my own rice. Because she wants her 1kg finished in month with 7person eating. I can’t eat also even eggs. Two families in house very hard”, the maid wrote. She added that all of the family members in the house were very calculative and would only buy food for themselves and exclude her.
SINGAPORE: Local online media publication Jom has expressed its disagreement with a court ruling after it lost an appeal against a correction order imposed under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).
On July 16th, Jom received POFMA orders alleging that the publication had made three false statements in its journalism, specifically pertaining to the Ridout Road bungalow leases and Instagram’s geo-blocking of Charles Yeo.
The first of these alleged false statements revolved around a claim that Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean had only emphasized the importance of observing the spirit rather than the letter of the Code when it comes to the ministerial code of conduct.
The second statement in question is an alleged assertion that the Singapore Land Authority had expended “more than $1 million on the renovation for 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road because the Ministers were to be the tenants.” The final statement is a claim that “the Government caused Instagram to geo-block a post by Charles Yeo.”
Justice Valerie Thean, in her judgment, upheld the POFMA orders, concurring with the POFMA office’s assertion that Jom had indeed made these three false statements.
In her ruling, Justice Thean noted, “In my view, what the article does, by a series of speculative associations, is set out a case that the government caused Instagram to geo-block Charles Yeo’s post…while this is not spelt out literally, the whole import of the article leads to an [aforementioned] assertion…”
Following the court’s ruling, Jom issued a statement on its website and Facebook, disagreeing with the ruling and maintaining that it did not make the alleged falsehoods.
Jom said: “We respectfully have a different take. Journalists, in light of limited information, have to posit certain lines of queries to discuss the issue. Jom’s position throughout has been consistent: we agree that the three statements are false but that we neither intended to make them nor indeed did make them.”
SINGAPORE: A Swiss woman living in Singapore posted a video she called “Bizarre Singaporean Habits Explained 🇸🇬 | Expat Insights” last Tuesday (Sept 5), naming queueing and chope-ing as two of the “weird and bizarre” habits.
However, for Ms Mary Mueller, “bizarre” appears to be a compliment, as she added that some of these habits are “sort of cute and nice and polite”. Nevertheless, these habits left her “perplexed” when she saw them — she “could hardly believe her eyes”.
So, for Ms Mueller, here are the “bizarre” Singaporean habits she explained in the video: “The Unwavering Queue Culture, The Chope Phenomenon, Singlish – The Unique Singaporean Language, Uncles and Aunties, and Food Lovers,” who take photos of their meals before eating.
The YouTuber praised Singapore’s queue culture, saying the Swiss could learn something from Singapore. In her home country, people rush onto the train when it arrives, jostling for the best seats, she said.
As for the “chope phenomenon”, she praised Singapore for being so safe and secure that people leave even valuable belongings to reserve places.
Ms Mueller mentioned that for her, the best Singlish words are “can, can”, “lah,” and her personal favourite, “shiok.”
She went on to explain the habit of calling older people “uncle” and “auntie” out of respect, which she loves. As for food photography, she chalked it up to the constant innovations in Singaporean cuisine.
While many commenters appreciated her video, some took exception to the use of the words “bizarre” and “weird”. Ms Mueller responded to them, explaining what she meant.
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) has issued a warning to The Economist’s Singapore bureau chief, Dominic Ziegler, for publicly endorsing local online publication Jom, calling his endorsement “interference” in domestic politics.
As per an advertisement for Jom that ran on 25 Aug, Mr Ziegler had said: “I love Jom. It’s driven by an infectious curiosity and by a deep attachment to the great city-state of Singapore and the world it floats in. Jom is penetrating, bold, unflinching and funny. Above all, it is humane.
It touches deeper truths about the way Singapore is run and about the culture that runs through all Singaporeans than you will ever find in the state-supported press. It is also better written, but that is not all: the best writing in Singapore is matched by classy artwork. It is an end-of-the-week joy to have Jom in your hands or on your laptop.
Jom enlightens and gives pleasure. More than that, in illiberal states around the world independent media need supporters. Those states and their captive media presume to know what is best for us. But with no independent voices to question things, how can they be so sure?
How can they give weight to all the voices of society, rather than just the most powerful ones? Every Singaporean wants a kinder, fairer future. By offering visions of alternative Singapores, Jom is already reaching for that future. What’s that, if not patriotism?”
In a statement on Friday (8 Sept), MCI said Mr Ziegler “compared Singapore to an illiberal state, and encouraged Singaporeans to embrace an alternative vision, instead of what was being offered by the state and an allegedly captive media”.
Revealing that it has expressed “clear expectation” to Mr Ziegler that he refrain from interfering in domestic politics again, MCI said: “Ziegler’s action clearly crossed the line from reporting on Singapore to participating in Singapore’s domestic affairs.
Ziegler has exploited his status in Singapore as a journalist in a prestigious international publication to advocate to Singaporeans for his viewpoint on domestic politics in Singapore, a country which he is not a citizen of.”
Asserting that “such foreign interference” in domestic politics will not be tolerated, the ministry added, “Singapore politics is reserved only for Singaporeans.”
Noting that foreign correspondents are free to report and comment on Singapore in foreign publications, reaching a global audience, MCI said: “The government insists on the right of reply to correct foreign reports that it considers inaccurate or biased, but it does not prevent foreign correspondents from engaging anyone they wish here and reporting on Singapore in any way they think fit.
Many foreign correspondents and media outlets base themselves in Singapore. The Economist itself has expanded its bureau here in recent years, transferring many of its correspondents previously based elsewhere in the region to Singapore. It would not have done so if it did not find Singapore a suitable base for its correspondents.”
MCI added that it welcomes foreign reporters and media companies to operate in and report on Singapore but warned: “However, they must comply with our laws and must not interfere in our domestic politics.”
Responding to the MCI’s warning to The Economist’s Singapore bureau chief, a number of Singaporeans online have questioned when the authorities will act against the blogger behind the Critical Spectator site.
Critical Spectator is a pro-ruling party blog run by Polish national Michael Petraeus. Despite the fact that Petraeus frequently comments on Singapore politics, he has not been publicly warned against doing so despite the Government’s policy that Singapore’s politics is only for Singaporeans.
Singaporeans responding to MCI’s statement on online platforms like Reddit, WhatsApp and Facebook opined that Mr Ziegler’s comments were mild and expressed surprise that the authority was taking such a hard stance.
Others asked why the authorities have been silent on Petraeus’ blog, which is largely critical of the Singapore opposition and civil activists. The blog frequently engages in character assassinations and elements of “dog whistling” in reference to opposition politicians and civil society figures.
Despite this, the blog has never been admonished by the Government. Instead, posts on the website have been publicly shared by a number of establishment figures – including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Ho Ching.
SINGAPORE: Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Assoc Prof Hamid Razak has been spotted walking the ground at Jurong GRC by some eagle-eyed Singaporeans, sparking questions about whether he will be fielded as a new People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate in the next election.
Assoc Prof Razak currently practises at Sengkang General Hospital. The married father of three is an alumnus of both Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Raffles Junior College and earned his medical degree at the National University of Singapore.
He is also a prolific clinical researcher in his field, having published over 90 articles in peer-reviewed medical journals. According to the doctor’s LinkedIn profile, he volunteers “actively in various roles” outside his job.
Jurong GRC is now short of one MP after the ward’s anchor minister, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, resigned from Parliament and the Cabinet to contest the presidential election.
Mr Tharman won the election with a landslide 70.4 per cent of votes, but his former constituents at Taman Jurong have been left without a dedicated representative until the next general election, which may be held as late as mid-2025.
In any case, it remains unclear if Jurong GRC will remain as it is or whether it will be dissected or absorbed into another group of wards ahead of the next election.
The constituency was left intact in past electoral boundary reviews, but now that Mr Tharman – who was the most consistently well-performing parliamentarian – has left politics, some political observers have suggested that the ward may be reshaped or another anchor minister may be parachuted to lead the remaining four MPs.
But the MP, an Associate Professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School, wrote in a Sept 12 (Tuesday) Facebook post that “Given my conviction that the future of education must successfully harness the power of 
